Celtics name new starting point guard following Smart trade

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Celtics name new starting point guard following Marcus Smart trade

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 7/26/23

For the first time in nine years, the Boston Celtics won't have Marcus Smart at their disposal when they take the court this season. The former longest-tenured Celtic was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies this summer in the three-team trade that landed Kristaps Porzingis in Beantown.

While the deal greatly bolstered Boston's frontcourt, it left a glaring hole at point guard — one that the C's believe Derrick White will be able to fill.

“Derrick will be our starting point guard,” coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters on Wednesday, via The Athletic's Jay King.

Derrick White will be the Celtics starting point guard next season, per HC Joe Mazzulla pic.twitter.com/BzC81ewfJb
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) July 26, 2023

White serving as a starter is far from a foreign occurrence. The 29-year-old guard appeared in all 82 games in 2022-23, starting 70 contests alongside Smart.

White saw bumps in every major statistical category when compared to his 28-game showing the season prior, averaging 12.4 points, 3.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 0.7 steals.

Of course, Smart was a stalwart on the defensive end during his Celtics career. Yet, many would argue that White was actually Boston's best on-ball defender last season, earning All-Defensive Second Team honors.

Derrick White’s 11 straight games with a blocked shot this spring tied the 2nd-longest streak in NBA history by a player under 6'5".
⁰
1. David Thompson (6' 4"): 13 games, ('77-78)
2. Derrick White (6' 4"): 11 games ('22-23)
Dwyane Wade (6' 4"): 11 games ('11 -12, ‘04-05) pic.twitter.com/NM1Jf4JrYY
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) July 20, 2023

Offensively, White is more than capable of playing on the ball. His best season as a distributor came in 2021-22 when he averaged 5.6 assists per game as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. Still, look for the Celtics to feature numerous ballhandlers this season.

Barring a trade, reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon should be up for the task, as he started 146 games at point guard in three seasons with the Indiana Pacers.

Then there's always Jayson Tatum, who become more and more comfortable operating as a point forward in recent seasons, evidenced by his career-high 4.6 assists per game this past year.

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